A Tyrant's Christmas
by Kage no Getsuei
Summary: Souichi simply wants to have a normal day. However, Morinaga has other plans. It's Christmas Eve after all! Warning: Rated Teen mainly due to Senpai's foul language. Disclaimer: I own nothing, simply my imagination. The wonderful characters belong to the all-so-talented Hinako Takanaga. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas. :3
1. Morning

**Morning****:**

His hand gripping the metal handle, Souichi could hear through the door Morinaga's gleeful humming as he toiled in the kitchen, most likely preparing their breakfast. He could feel the optimism seeping through the solid piece of wood separating him from the outside world. _Shit! Why the hell is he so goddamn happy? So irritating. _

Somehow, Souichi still felt exhausted, even after a full night's sleep, and simply didn't feel like doing _anything_. Well, that wasn't quite true. His experiments needed to be tended to, and he _did_ enjoy his work at the University. However, it would help a great deal if his experiments would give comprehensive results, or if Morinaga would be available to work_ in_ the lab, instead of doing some stupid side project for S-Pharmaceuticals. He wasn't in Hamamatsu. _So why the hell is he still doing work for them? While he's in town, he should be working in the lab, with _me_!_ Sure, Souichi did have decent replacement assistants. Ok… they were really quite good assistants. _But… it's just not the same without him. _To top it off, New Year's Eve was just a week away, which meant he had a whole lot to finish if he wanted to enjoy his time off. With everything happening, the irritated man still standing in the darkness of his room simply didn't feel like dealing with anything else. All he wanted was for things to go as planned – to remain simple. Knowing fate though, he knew that he had no such luck. He always managed to be caught up in more trouble than he deserved. _Life should be simple._ He rested his forehead onto the wooden door with a soft '_thud_'. _But why is that never the case, though_? He took a deep breath. Pulling down on the handle, the graduate student took a step out, leaving the comfort and darkness of his room.

Entering the light, he was greeted by the image of Morinaga's back as he tirelessly worked in the kitchen, a delicious aroma drifting through the air. Somehow, the combination of the soft warm light, the smell of good food, the warmth of the apartment and the look of his kouhai with that small content smile soothed his nerves. Looking at Morinaga filled him with a warm fuzzy feeling that he couldn't quite identify. Just being there, in his presence, made him feel… cozy.

"Ah! Good morning Senpai!" A luminous smile and bright cheerful eyes shone under a mat of soft, nearly black bangs.

"Mornin'." His own voice, still sounding tired and dull, was a stark contrast to Morinaga's upbeat and joyful attitude.

"Feel free to sit, Senpai. Breakfast is almost ready." With that said, his tall kouhai turned his attention back to the food still cooking on the stove.

His gaze roaming around the spacious kitchenette-joint-living room, Souichi noticed that the plates and condiments were already set on their coffee table. Being totally inept wherever cooking was concerned – or housework for that matter – there was little left he could help out with in the kitchen. All he was capable of was setting the table, making toasts, doing the dishes and… _preparing the coffee_. He made his way to the percolator and started to make a fresh batch of that delicious dark liquid while his roommate finished with the cooking.

Souichi sat on the floor facing his kouhai. A plate, nearly devoid of the delightful foodstuff that was occupying it mere moments ago, was lying in front of him on the mat protecting the glass coffee table. Looking up, he was able to tell now more than ever that something was off about his roommate. Usually he always gave him an almost undivided attention, which seemed almost stocker-ish. Morinaga never failed to notice and remember every single detail whenever his senpai was involved. It generally got on his nerves. But now it looked like he was avoiding him, his gaze directed anywhere but his tyrannical senpai. A look of confusion creased Souichi's eyebrows as he shot a leveled glare towards the dark haired man sitting nearly an arm's length away. Irritated, the older of the two picked up his mug. Once it touched his lips, he took a long satisfying gulp, the warm liquid gliding down his throat.

Tilting the mug back down to set it on the table, Souichi looked ahead. He froze. Determined olive green eyes finally met his own. They stared into each other, almost as if searching for something hidden within the depth lying beyond. One was about to speak, seemingly gathering enough courage to voice his thoughts; the other waiting patiently, his full attention captured in that single gaze.

"As you know, tomorrow I have to leave to go for nearly another week of training in Hamamatsu. So… I-… I was wondering if we could spend the day together." Halfway through his request, Tetsuhiro broke the eye contact, unable to continue staring at his love any longer, especially if he wanted to be able to finish his sentence which ended up being spewed out in a rush. _Why am I acting like this?! Why am I so nervous?_ Receiving only silence, he returned his attention towards his lovely tyrant. Senpai just sat there. He looked confused, unable to understand why the other was acting so strange, unsure of the meaning of those words.

"I have to go to school, idiot. I can't spend the whole day with you. _Some_ people actually have important work to do." Senpai sounded irritated. _Why is that? Does he not want to be with me? … No Tetsuhiro, don't think like that. There's no point in being overly depressed about this… Maybe… Is he mad because I haven't been able to help him in the lab? Is that it? Hopefully it's just that._

"Of course, Senpai. That's… That's not what I meant. I was wondering if you could end school a little earlier today. Well, earlier than you usually do. Then that way we could have a bit more time before I have to leave. We could do something." Tetsuhiro held his breath. He wouldn't know what to do if he got rejected. It would be a whole week before he would get to see those hazel eyes and long soft blonde – well more taupe coloured since it was more beige than yellow – hair again. Then again, he'd be getting back New Year's Eve. That would mean he might not see him for another few days since Senpai was bound to spend New Year's with Kanako, with his family. That's why he really wanted to spend the little bit of time he had with his senpai.

"Oh yah? Like what?" Souichi was fairly certain that whatever that idiot had in mind, he wouldn't want anything to do with it.

"We could stay in and have a really nice supper. Or go out for a bit and go for a nice walk around the neighbourhood."

"Why?" Souichi wasn't a fool. He knew his dark haired kouhai well enough by now that he must have a reason behind this.

"Well… I won't be able to see you for quite a while. I wanted to spend some more time with you." Tetsuhiro tried to remain optimistic, keeping his intentions honest but pure. However, what followed felt like a full on blow to the gut.

"You're being too emotional. It's only a week. Stop acting like a love sick girl." A stab of pain pierced his chest.

"But… It is Christmas Eve, and I wanted to give you the present I got for you." Tetsuhiro was staring at his hands in his lap. He knew that whatever he said, he wouldn't be able to make Senpai do anything he didn't want to, so he might as well tell him everything. _His experiments and work at the lab are very important to him_. A silence stretched between them. Tetsuhiro suddenly felt really empty. Alone. _There's no way I can compete with that._

"What?! I didn't ask you to do anything like that! You didn't have to get me anything." Senpai sounded genuinely surprised. In the way he uttered that last sentence, one could almost hear him blush. A spark of hope ignited. Tetsuhiro looked up.

"I know. But I wanted to." His cheeks warming at the undesired attention, Senpai turned his gaze towards the floor. His face got redder. He looked so adorably embarrassed.

"I don't have anything for you." He managed to murmur. Tetsuhiro leaned forward, warm eyes and a look of adoration adorning his face.

"That's ok Senpai. I'm happy just being around you. If you could finish your lab work a little bit earlier today that would be the best present you could ever give me." Senpai simply stared at him, surprised at the sincerity and innocence of the statement.

"Tsk… I have to go. The experiments are far from being complete. There's still so much to do before the year's end." Standing up, Souichi gave his roommate a side glance before quickly turning his attention away.

"… I'll see what I can do. But I can't make any promises. You understand?!" Souichi swiftly turned around to glare at his kouhai still sitting at the coffee table, frozen on the spot with a dumbstruck look on his face. The next second, his whole face lit up. How Morinaga could go from being so down to absolutely ecstatic was beyond him.

Pushing off from the floor, Tetsuhiro rushed over to where his senpai was walking away, heading towards the genkan. He wrapped his arms around a slender frame, giving the slightly shorter man a suffocating hug, crashing his chest to the other's back. Startled, Senpai struggled at the unexpected contact. Releasing his grip just a little bit, the giddy kouhai turned his senpai around in his grasp. Looking into the bewildered man's eyes, the taller man leaned in, soft lips touching in sweet bliss. Leaning back ever so slightly to stare into his love's face, Tetsuhiro took in the gorgeous sight that stood before him, from the rosy tint of a soft blush to the half lidded eyes.

"I understand, Senpai." Those words were whispered next to a reddening ear. Senpai resumed his attempt to push the other one away, now that his senses seemed to have returned. They were standing in the threshold between the kitchenette and the short hallway leading towards the genkan, surrounded by the wooden doorframe.

"Wha- What was that for?!" Souichi mentally cursed himself for sounding so breathless. Morinaga gave him a quizzical look before directing his gaze upwards. Following it, he saw something hanging above their heads.

"But Senpai, we're standing under mistletoe." Morinaga looked down, returning his attention to his senpai who was still in his arms, his escape attempt somewhat forgotten, for now.

"You're supposed to kiss if two people are standing beneath it at the same time." Staring back at the offending flora, while wondering where such a strange tradition could have come from, a slow realization came to him. They were still standing beneath it.

"That's so stupid!… Wha-?" Souichi was pulled into another mind numbing kiss. This one more heated as a sly tongue slipped through parted lips. Souichi moaned slightly as he tasted his idiotic roommate. However, the embrace and the kiss were so comfortable, tender and warm; he really couldn't think why this was wrong. They continued to taste each other, their breathing laboured as Morinaga held a narrow waist to his and Souichi grabbed onto strong, sturdy arms. They finally separated when they both needed more air. Distantly, Souichi felt his phone vibrate a few times in his pocket. _Huh… Did I just get a text message? Wait… What time is it?... _Shit_! That was probably my alarm. That means I only have 30 minutes to get to school! Dammit, I'm late!_

"Shit! Idiot! Let go! I'll be late!" Reluctantly relinquishing his hold, Tetsuhiro allowed his adorable senpai to finish getting ready for school. In no time, Senpai was slipping on his shoes, ready to go.

"Have a nice day, Senpai! Oh! Be sure to dress warmly. It's supposed to get cold from now on. They're announcing nearly freezing by the end of next week." Slipping on his coat, double checking his pockets to make sure his gloves were there just in case he needed them, Souichi slung his bag over his shoulder as the opened the door and waved back at his roommate.

"Ya, ya… Later." And with that, Morinaga was left to eagerly await Senpai's return.

**Yay for finally having my laptop back after it nearly died and had to be sent away to get fixed… for a good whole month! Urgh… That took a while.**

**Well here's a new post… that's not a new chapter… Yah… Sorry for the uber long delay. **

**I got sucked into the whole holiday spirit thing and kinda got side tracked…**

**But hey! It's a new story! It's only going to be two parts long. I hope you enjoyed part 1!**

**Take care! Until next time!**

**-Getsuei**


	2. Evening

**Evening****:**

Shrugging off his lab coat, Souichi hung it at its usual spot. Switching to his shoes instead of his slippers he used in the lab, he grabbed his coat and backpack. He made sure his lab assistants knew what to do before leaving; making sure that everything was well in hand. Today, the experiments were cooperating well enough which allowed him to finish working on the more important experiments well before the end of the day. His helpers could handle the last bit of work. It has been quite a while since he left school this early. It was a little past five, the last rays of sunlight dimming, giving way to starlight. Arriving at the main entrance, Souichi spotted the profile of a tall dark haired man waiting patiently near the doors. Morinaga decided to meet him at school when he found out that his senpai was able to finish early. This way they could walk home… _together_, as his overly ecstatic kouhai had said over the phone. Souichi wasn't against the idea. Nevertheless, he certainly did not need nor require the constant contact or show of affection that the other seemed to rely on. Walking home with his friend was one thing, but walking home _togethe_r? _Give me a break._ Nonetheless, the slightly annoyed blond still made his way towards his persistent roommate.

"Good evening, Senpai. How was your day?" Looking at him, Morinaga seemed calm and composed. However, the smile that shone on that face with those expressive eyes was much too cheerful and bright for his normal smile he used to greet him. _Such an idiot. I didn't even do anything. Why is it so easy for me to make him so happy?_

"Mah. It was good enough. So since I was able to finish early enough, what did you want to do?" They turned towards the doors to leave.

"Well, if you're too tired, we could just head home. I've already started preparing supper for us." Their footsteps shuffled against the cement stairs leading towards the road and sidewalk.

"Hmmm… Not particularly." Souichi partly wasn't looking forward to spending a whole evening alone with his sex-crazed kouhai. Even if his intentions sounded innocent, he was far from it.

"Good. There was somewhere I wanted to go. Don't worry, Senpai, I think you'll like it." At the skeptic look he got, Morinaga tried to appease any worries his senpai might have.

"What is it?" Morinaga looked happy, almost giddy, at the prospect of going wherever he had in mind, but Souichi wasn't convinced.

"Now it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?"

"Who said it had to be a surprise?!" This earned him a chuckle from the taller man walking next to him.

"Come on Senpai. It's this way." Of course his last question was ignored. With an irritated sigh, Souichi decided to let it go, and followed the spirited dark haired man. What was thought to be a slight detour ended up being quite a little journey. Before he knew it, they were standing just outside of Ran no Yakata, also known as the Orchid Gardens.

"Mo-ri-na-ga…" Souichi stretched every syllable, an edge of well contained bitterness audible in his tone. "This is where _couples_ go to spend Christmas Eve. Why the _hell_ are we here?!"

"Isn't obvious? We're here to enjoy the illumination." Morinaga's eyebrows furrowed in worry, and a hint of dread tinted his voice, as he tried to remain optimistic.

Returning his gaze to examine the gardens, Souichi had to admit that the lights were quite pretty. But that didn't change the fact that they were two men out to enjoy the festivities and Christmas lights _together_! _What the hell was I thinking? This is a romantic occasion where couples go to spend time with each other… I should have known better._ Well there wasn't much he could do to change his predicament now. They were already there. Staring back at Morinaga's soft expression, he ended up caving. He could survive doing this one last thing for him. The walk through the amazing display of lights was spent in a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the wonderful sights.

The wind picked up on their way to their shared apartment. Souichi was starting to get quite cold as the wind passed right through him. He tried to hide it, but he couldn't quite stop shivering. Naturally, his over-attentive roommate noticed.

"Senpai, are you cold?" He sounded really concerned.

"I'll be fine. Let's just get home." The mention of their shared living quarters being referred as their 'home' never failed to fill Tetsuhiro with a warm tingly feeling.

"Here. You can have my scarf. It'll keep you warm." Tetsuhiro unravelled the long scarf from his neck.

"But what about you? Won't you get cold?" Senpai really could be so stubborn when he wanted to. His show of concern, however, made Tetsuhiro feel like the most important person in the whole world. _And to think he used to never remember my name._

"Don't worry, my coat has a hood. I'll be fine. You need it more than I do." With that, the taller man wrapped his blond tyrant's neck, making sure the scarf covered everything from his shoulders to his angular chin.

"Oi! I can do it myself!" Souichi could feel his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. He was quite happy for the scarf and the cover of darkness to hide his embarrassment.

"I know." A small smile graced Morinaga's lips. _But I wanted to_, was left unspoken. Long strides brought them ever closer to their destination. Looking to his right, Souichi saw dark hair become hidden behind a layer of material as Morinaga brought his hood up. Tilting his head back, Souichi followed his kouhai's gaze skyward. The Christmas lights weren't the only light show they were getting. They could faintly see some bright stars litter the sky. Too bad they were in town. The light pollution restricted the amount of stars visible in the night sky. If only they were in the country, they would be able to see thousands upon thousands of bright dots of light twinkling high above. Nonetheless, Souichi was able to make out some of the brightest stars making up Orion, the Hunter. Jupiter was also visible in the eastern sky. It should be in the Gemini constellation right now. However, those stars weren't quite bright enough to be easily visible.

A gust of cool wind blew past them. Shivers traveled through Souichi's limbs. _It's a good thing that Morinaga gave me this scarf. The wind has a bite this evening. It wasn't too bad this morning. It really has gotten cold._ Hands stuffed in his coat's pockets, his bag over his left shoulder, Souichi walked next to his kouhai, oblivious to their close proximity. He unconsciously kept Morinaga near, their arms almost touching, feeling the other's body heat, trying to keep himself warm.

They strolled along empty side streets, gradually getting closer to their home. Souichi couldn't wait to get there; his hands were freezing. Unwilling to withstand the chill any longer, the long haired man decided it was about time to slip on his gloves. Soft comfortable material easily found its way to his left hand, covering his cold fingers. Unfortunately, the other glove was nowhere to be seen. He rummaged through his pockets several times to make sure it wasn't hiding somewhere in its depth. Sadly, it wasn't where it was supposed to be. The blond silently cursed under his breath. _Shit! I lost my other glove. That's just great!_

"What is it Senpai?" Morinaga looked down, noticing Souichi's irritation.

"Tsk… I lost one of my gloves. I can't find it. It was supposed to be in my coat pocket with the other one, but it's not there." He felt around in his pockets one last time before giving a defeated sigh, shoving his fists far into them.

"Hmmm…" Morinaga thought for a bit. Pissed off, Souichi did not notice his kouhai's new proximity. Before he knew it, he felt something snake into his pocket. His right hand was stolen by a warm one, encompassing his frozen digits.

"Wha- are you…?" Startled, Souichi gave a half-hearted struggle. It was more out of surprise than anything else. Then again, they were now holding hands, in _public_! Morinaga's hand gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Gradually, Souichi settled down, assessing that they were indeed the only two people on the street. He tried to act less paranoid as feeling returned to his fingers. The warmth really did feel nice. Somehow, though, the blond couldn't seem to remove his hand from the subtle heat surrounding it. Slowly, Morinaga took their joint hands from Souichi's pocket to place them in his. Morinaga's coat pocket was considerably warmer than his. _Why the hell is he so much warmer? Dammit. I can't make him let go._

They spent the rest of the walk with their hands joint together. Arriving in front of their apartment building, in order to be able to climb the stairs to their apartment, Morinaga was forced to release his hold on the hand that so adorably clung to his. Reluctant to lose the newly acquired heat, Souichi shoved his hand back in his pocket to keep some of the warmth.

Stepping into the genkan, the events of the morning resurfaced in Souichi's memories. Quickly, he scanned the ceiling and top of door frames visible from his location. There was no trace of the mistletoe. _Damn! Where the hell did it go? It disappeared. Hmmm… That's actually a good thing. I won't have to worry about it anymore. Wait… Knowing Morinaga, he probably simply moved it. Shit! It's still out there. I have to find it and _destroy_ it. I don't need him having more excuses to kiss me for no good reason._

"You must be hungry, Senpai. I'm going to make our supper. I've already started preparing it so it shouldn't take too long." Startled out of his thoughts, Souichi stared at his roommate until he finally processed what was said.

"K…" Morinaga made his way to the kitchen while Souichi made sure not to be within arm's reach, just in case.

So his search began. Souichi started with the washroom. Looking everywhere with no luck, he was forced to resume his search in the kitchenette and living room, though he tried to remain discreet as to not attract any suspicious looks. However, no matter where he searched, there was still no trace of the festive abomination of a plant. Since he couldn't justify having a good enough reason to search Morinaga's room, he finally had to give up and retire to his own room until the food was ready.

After the supper was consumed, which included fried chicken and a festive looking sponge cake, Senpai helped his tall kouhai with the dishes. As they finished cleaning up, Tetsuhiro was getting a little nervous. He wasn't too sure why. He still had the present he wanted to give Senpai, but that wasn't any reason to be nervous, was it? Once everything was done, he directed his roommate to the couch.

"There's something I want to give you, Senpai. Wait here and I'll go get it." Sitting on the couch, Souichi's eyes followed his kouhai's tall form until he disappeared out through the door leading towards the genkan, the washroom and Morinaga's room. He patiently waited for his return. No more than a moment later, Morinaga emerged from his room and returned with a package.

"It isn't much. But when I saw it, I wanted to get it for you. I know you love that kind of stuff." Sitting with his senpai to his left on the 2-seat couch, Morinaga handed him the gift. Tearing the festive wrapping paper away, Souichi unraveled what hid inside. He was thoroughly surprised.

"This is amazing! Where did you find this?" In his hands lay an authentic, antique-looking book of poisons.

"One day at the market in Hamamatsu. I just found it there. I'm really glad you like it." A satisfied smile stretched his lips. Tetsuhiro was relieved that his senpai ended up liking his gift.

As Souichi flipped through the pages, he remembered something. Reaching in his back pocket, he took out what looked like a small piece of paper. He kept his eyes on it.

"I- ah… also got you something. It was kind of last minute, so it isn't much. I didn't get to wrap it, either." With a light blush, Souichi shoved the small gift into Morinaga's hands. A look of stunned delight was plastered on his face.

In between his fingers lay a picture of himself next to Senpai. They were sitting next to each other at Matsuda's house. Tetsuhiro couldn't believe it. He never possessed a photo of any kind where they were both in it. He was so… genuinely _happy_.

"Th-Thank you so much! This is amazing!... How long have you had this?" Tetsuhiro couldn't pull his gaze away from the tiny Senpai in the picture. This was one of the best presents he'd ever received. There was so much meaning behind the small, simple image.

"Not for long. So I figured that since I didn't get to buy you anything, that you might like this." In between experiments and data analysis, Souichi managed to get access to a printer while the others finished preparing some solutions. He printed the small photo. It was small enough to fit in a wallet, that way Morinaga was more likely to keep it hidden there. That would also mean he'd keep it with him wherever he went. That could be an issue if he decided to show it to whomever he wanted to.

The picture was given to Souichi by a certain Isogai Taichiro. He had managed to secretly take it with his phone while they were all staying at Matsuda's place waiting for Souichi's dad to come home. The irritated blond had received it lately as a reminder of their little agreement. Isogai would keep his mouth shut about Souichi's special relationship with his kouhai, as long as Souichi stopped harassing Kurokawa. He was extremely infuriated by the whole situation, but for now, there wasn't anything he could do to stop it.

Sadly, it was the only picture he had of both himself and Morinaga, so he figured that his kouhai would like it regardless. He wasn't wrong.

"But you can't show it to anyone! You hear?!" Souichi really didn't want everyone to know that his kouhai had a picture of them. Even though they weren't doing anything indecent in the photograph, it was still really embarrassing.

"Yes yes. Of course, Senpai. You have my word. It's for my eyes only." With a sly smile, Tetsuhiro pulled out the mistletoe from his pants' pocket, dangling it above their heads. Senpai stared up at it, but made no move to escape. Leaning in, the taller man was pleasantly surprised when the other merely waited for the kiss. Their lips connected and opened to allow their tongues to taste and touch. He lowered his arm and dropped the poisonous plant which fell on the floor. With deliberate movements, Tetsuhiro gently wound his arms around Senpai's waist and shoulders, pulling the shorter man closer to him.

Souichi was easily overtaken as his mind surrendered to the feeling. Morinaga's tongue stroked his, engaging it in an eternal dance. The blond felt no sense panic or urgency. The kiss remained sweet and tender. After a few moments, they pulled apart.

"Thanks you so much, Senpai." Olive eyes stared into hazel.

"Merry Christmas."

**OMG! I finished it! And on Christmas Eve no less. **

**Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**I tried to keep this story rated T, so if there's enough people that want to see what happens next between them, I'll write a side story rated M for those wanting to see a little bit of action. :P**

**Here's a little fun fact for yah… Did you know that a moment is about 90 seconds? I learned about this not too long ago.**

**For everyone in the Northern Hemisphere, hurray we made it! We just passed the shortest day of the year! Daylight will be returning to us. :D**

**For everyone in the Southern hemisphere, you just passed the longest day of the year, so I hope you're enjoying the sunlight and the warmer weather. ;)**

**And for those near the equator where the amount of sunlight is nearly the same year round, nevertheless I hope you're enjoying this time of year. :3**

**Happy Holidays!... And Merry Christmas! :)**


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